Cadets Graduate

SCRANTON — Seventeen cadets from the Lackawanna College Police Academy are heading into the world of law enforcement, a world that seems to have changed drastically from years ago.

Now, there are fears of mass shootings, violence in movie theaters and elementary schools.

“The most important thing that I try to communicate to the cadets is that we are true public servants and we have to go out there and tailor our services to the community that we’re going out there to protect,” said Daniel Duffy, Police Academy Director.

Some of the cadets already have jobs lined up in public safety, one has been hired by a local police department.

Those who spoke with Newswatch 16 said they are well aware of the dangers they will face trying to protect the public and themselves.

“You don’t know what to expect, every day you go out, but you know how to handle situations. You don’t know what will happen, but you’ll know what to do when it does,” said Cadet Michael Ranakoski of Scranton.

State Attorney General and Lackawanna County native Kathleen Kane was the keynote speaker at the cadets’ graduation.

“It’s a brand new world. The 206th class is much different than the 1st class. We do live in a much more violent world, they have more challenges that they have to face, our police forces are reduced then they were in the past. The fact that they have great instructors and they are well trained I think serves them well and serves us well,” said Kane.

Despite the challenges, Duffy said he is sure these cadets are trained for whatever they will face.

“I’m very confident in this class, and I know that they are ready. If I was able to hire all 17 as a police chief, I would hire all 17 on the spot. “